it seems like fresh strings are more important

yeah, i always thought that the strings made a difference, but in the end a squier will always be a squier, a fender always a fender, etc. but it seems like the absolute most important thing is the string quality. i boiled my strings last night and GOD did it ever make a difference. it sounds great and to me made a bigger impact then if i bought a new fender jazz altogether.

Strings certainly shouldn't be neglected when trying to improve your sound. A new set of strings can also fix things like intonation problems. A while ago my electro-acoustic (non-adjustable bridge) sounded depressingly bad with the intonation being all over the place; a new set of strings and it was alive and in tune again!

An average instrument with a good set of strings may well sound better than a top dollar instrument with old and worn strings. Since all basses need string changes from time to time it's probably a better idea to buy instruments that don't stretch you to your financial limits but leave some money in the budget for occasional string changes.